Desperate Measures Sublime Destruction Album Review

11 March 2024 Andrew Ellis

Desperate Measures – pic by Louise Phillips

I love Desperate Measures, and have been eagerly awaiting this album since I reviewed their barnstorming show at London’s Water Rats last May.

That evening, they debuted the song ‘Back to the Rats’ and announced it as the lead single for this forthcoming release. Also given the live treatment that night were ‘Lost Angels’ and ‘Untouchable’. I remember thinking that if these three songs are anything to go by we’re all in for a treat when the album drops.

And what a treat it is!

Bringing their incredible live energy to the recording studio, vocalist and original member Eugene Butcher, drummer James Sherry, guitarist Michael Gaffney and bassist Ricky McGuire have given us eleven songs of pure punk energy scattered with great riffs and anthemic melodies.

Opener ‘Back to the Rats’ is a statement of intent. Gaffney’s isolated guitar giving way to a wave of energy as the band join in and Eugene Butchers urgent, passionate vocals cut through.

‘Pocket’ picks up where ‘Back to the Rats’ leaves off with another heavy, catchy guitar riff. The vocals in the chorus are complimented by some thoughtful backing vocals, adding a melodic sensibility to the arrangement.

Latest release ’Sublime Destruction’ (see the accompanying video HERE, keeps the momentum going with another singalong chorus and some great guitar work, heavy drumming and thumping bass.

Desperate Measures wear their influences on their sleeves, and the Pistols are never far away. The opening riff of ‘The Rich-Ual’ is pure Steve Jones, but the song is very much their own.

Butcher channels his inner Iggy on ‘Enjoy the Ride’, along with the driving, tribal drums of Sherry. We even get some hand claps!

‘Untouchable’ changes the mood, and is a superbly crafted post-punk song with a fantastic arrangement, showing us just what talented musicians this band are and what a range they have.

Desperate Measures may have their roots in the New Zealand Punk scene, but they are definitely a London band. In fact if they were transported to London in 1976 they would fit in perfectly!

‘Thinking of England’ put us in mind of the Clash and indeed Joe Strummer gets a namecheck in this 2 minute 40 ode. There’s another tribute to England, and in particular North London: Seven Sisters’ starts with those marching drums, accompanied by a rumbling bass line and atmospheric guitar. The lyrics are poignant – “the money train never stops, and you never see the cops” growls Butcher on this personal, political statement of a song.

The album closes with ‘Still Got Me’, and features just acoustic guitar and vocals in what is another fantastic demonstration of the musical maturity of this band. Another personal lyric (“I’m looking for something that I can’t find. It’s end of days ‘cos I’m out of time. But I’ve still got me…..”) shows the depth of Butcher’s writing. The song finishes with the addition of keys and strings and brings this belter of an album to a close.

‘Sublime Destruction’ was definitely worth the wait, and it will be on my playlist for a good while yet. The band, along with producer Andy Brook, have crafted something rooted in the first wave of Punk but that is fresh and up to date.

Just like with ‘Darkadelic’, last years offering by The Damned, Desperate Measures have shown on ‘Sublime Destruction’ how to evolve and stay relevant whilst maintaining an in-your-face Punk Rock attitude.

Sublime Destruction is released on March 22nd on Cadiz Music.

Pre-order the CD and slime green vinyl HERE https://cadizmerchstore.com/collections/all/products/desperate-measures-sublime-destruction-cd-lp-formats-released-22-03-24?variant=40503642980407